U.S. to send up to 300 military advisers to Iraq

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama announced Thursday that the United States will send up to 300 military advisers to Iraq in response to the country’s request for assistance after militants seized wide swaths of its territory.

Obama held out the possibility of airstrikes. But he stressed anew that it’s up to the Iraqi government to forge a political accommodation with the country’s Shiite and Sunni sects, and that there is no chance the U.S. would ever send combat troops back to Iraq.

“American combat troops are not going to be fighting in Iraq again,” he told reporters at the White House. “We do not have the ability to simply solve this problem by sending in tens of thousands of troops. ... Ultimately, this is something that is going to have to be solved by the Iraqis.”

Obama said he is still considering possible airstrikes to aid the Iraqis. “We will be prepared to take targeted and precise military action if we conclude the situation on the ground requires it,” he said Thursday after meeting with his national security advisers.

A senior administration said strikes would only be considered after Obama receives “better information” about the situation in Iraq. Asked if the strikes could extend into neighboring Syria, the official said they would not be restricted to a “specific geographic space.”

“The United States will take action if we believe it’s in our national security interest,” said the official, who is not authorized to speak publicly as a matter of White House policy.

Obama did not directly answer questions from reporters about whether he supports Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who many have faulted for failing to unify factions. “It’s not our job to choose Iraq’s leaders,” he said.

Secretary of State John Kerry will fly to the Middle East and Europe this weekend to consult with foreign leaders about Iraq.

Obama’s announcement was designed to show that he is acting to help the Iraqi government combat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria while ensuring Americans he would not be dragged back into a war he campaigned against.

But on Capitol Hill, Republicans said Obama did not respond quickly or forcefully enough.

“Although a political solution to Iraq’s troubles might have been an appropriate goal in 2005 or 2011, it simply may not be feasible in 2014,” said Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate. “The time for this sort of argument would have been three years ago, when America was the most influential voice in Baghdad.”

The situation in Iraq continued to deteriorate Thursday. Iraqi forces said that they had beaten back an assault by Islamic militants on the country’s largest oil refinery, but conflicting news reports suggest the battle over the facility is far from over.

Gordon Adams, a senior White House national security budget official in the Clinton administration and a professor at American University, said he is skeptical that 300 advisers would be able to quickly turn around the Iraqi military.

But Anthony H. Cordesman, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, called the move a “key first step in dealing with the crisis.”

Former President George W. Bush signed the agreement in 2008 that set the deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, but Republicans have long criticized Obama for not allowing some troops to stay.

Rep. Ed Royce, a California Republican and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Thursday that Obama’s response underestimates the seriousness of the threat.

“The steps he announced are needed but fall short of what is required to stop this al-Qaida offshoot from gaining more power, which must include drone strikes,” he said. “Yes, Iraqis must solve their differences on their own, but this crisis comes as the administration has disengaged from Iraq and willfully ignored well-known threats.”

Obama said he would consult with Congress, but he did not indicate he would ask lawmakers to approve of any future mission.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he welcomed future consultation and said Obama’s decision to send in military advisers was “a prudent move.”

The advisers will be deployed in small teams of a dozen or so each to “assess,” a senior administration official said. “We’re going to start small and see what we learn from that,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity as a matter of policy.

Obama also announced that the U.S. will set up joint operation centers to coordinate intelligence and planning with Iraqis, send more equipment to the region and secure diplomatic facilities.